Stewart's music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined The Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also maintained a solo career releasing his debut album that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.
After Stewart had a handful more UK top ten hits, the Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads with "Sailing", off the 1975 UK and Australian number-one album, Atlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America. A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs". Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 70s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.
After a disco and new wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to a soft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991's Vagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated with Bryan Adams and Sting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.
In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". A Grammy and Brit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart
Studio albums
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004)
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005)
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010)
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas, Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)
Blood Red Roses (2018)
The Tears of Hercules (2021)
You Got A Nerve
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crying into my arms
Pleading with me to take you back
Teasing me with your charms
But you got a nerve to come round here
After all you've said and done
I thought I had seen everything
Cause where were you when the sun went down
Skies turned dark and gray
Where were you when the north winds blew
Honey tell me where were you
I heard you were living down in Brazil
With them high class friends of mine
I can't believe I was so naive
Did I never once cross your mind
You told them all I was down and out
My existence you even denied
Oh what pleasure it gives me now
To know that you're bleeding inside
You were my life, you were my breath
You were every move I ever made
But recently my opinion's changed
The joke's on you I'm afraid
Cause I have a woman so beautiful
For you I could no longer wait
Please go away you may spoil everything
Your love has turned up too late
Go away, go away
Please, please go away
I loved you once
I don't love you now
Please, please go away
In Rod Stewart's song "You Got A Nerve," the singer addresses his former lover who has come back to him with tears in her eyes and begging for forgiveness. However, the singer is not willing to take her back, and he reveals that he's aware of her treachery. From the lyrics, the woman left him for the high-class friends of Rod, and she denied his existence, calling him down and out in front of these people. The singer who was devoted to her, who was once his breath and every move he ever made, has now found someone else.
The singer also asks where the woman was when he needed her the most—when the sun went down, the skies turned dark and gray, and the north winds blew. The fact that he never got to see her when things were tough for him indicates that she was not always present in his difficult times. After all the hurt and pain she caused him, he don’t want her around him anymore, asking her to go away, spoiling everything with her love that has turned up too late.
In conclusion, the song is about how someone tries to rekindle a relationship they ended, hoping the other person will take them back even after they caused so much pain. Still, the singer is not having it, aware that he deserves better and has found someone else who fills the void she left.
Line by Line Meaning
Here you stand with tears in your eyes
You are in front of me shedding tears
Crying into my arms
You are sobbing and embracing me
Pleading with me to take you back
You are begging me to come back
Teasing me with your charms
You are flaunting your appealing traits while communicating with me
But you got a nerve to come round here
You display audacity by visiting me
After all you've said and done
Even after all you commented and performed
I thought I had seen everything
I assumed I had observed all there is to see
Obviously I was wrong
It is apparent that I was mistaken
Cause where were you when the sun went down
When the sun set, where were you located
Skies turned dark and gray
The skies became gloomy and colorless
Where were you when the north winds blew
When the north winds were blowing, where were you
Honey tell me where were you
Inform me where you were
I heard you were living down in Brazil
It came to perception that you were residing in Brazil
With them high class friends of mine
You were hanging out with my affluent friends there
I can't believe I was so naive
It's hard to admit how gullible I was
Did I never once cross your mind
Did I never come to your thoughts even once
You told them all I was down and out
You informed everyone that I was bankrupt and hopeless
My existence you even denied
You refused to acknowledge my presence
Oh what pleasure it gives me now
It is giving me immense satisfaction now
To know that you're bleeding inside
To realize that you're hurt and suffering
You were my life, you were my breath
You were everything to me and essential to my well-being
You were every move I ever made
You were involved in every decision I took
But recently my opinion's changed
But my views have transformed lately
The joke's on you I'm afraid
I'm sorry to say, but you're the one who's fooled
Cause I have a woman so beautiful
The reason is that I have a woman so stunning
For you I could no longer wait
I couldn't hold on and wait for you anymore
Please go away you may spoil everything
I request you to leave as you might ruin everything
Your love has turned up too late
Your affection has come in too late
Go away, go away
Get lost, leave
Please, please go away
I implore you to depart
I loved you once
I used to love you
I don't love you now
I do not love you anymore
Please, please go away
I reiterate my request for you to leave
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARY GRAINGER, ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind